Black pupils
are no longer
judged to be
the most
advanced when
they start
school and
unconscious
racism by
teachers could
be to blame,
according to a
professor of
education.

Prof David
Gillborn, of
the London
Institute of
Education,
said the
performance of
young black
children has
apparently
declined since
2002 when a
new method of
assessing
four- and
five-year-olds
was
introduced.

Before 2002
teachers were
told to
administer
baseline tests
in their
pupils' first
few weeks at
school but now
they tick a
series of
boxes based on
observations
of the
children.

Prof Gillborn
told a
conference of
the British
Educational
Research
Association at
Glamorgan
University
yesterday that
data showed
black children
were no longer
doing so well
and that the
trend may have
emerged
because of the
new emphasis
on teacher
assessment.

There was
evidence that
many teachers
tended to have
lower
expectations
of black
children and
graded them
accordingly,
he said.

Well-meaning,
white
professionals
who simply did
"not see
equality as a
major concern"
were guilty of
institutional
racism, he
said.

A previous
study by Prof
Gillborn and
Prof Heidi
Safia Mirza
published in
2000
challenged the
preconception
that black
children
entered school
poorly
prepared when
it found they
were the
highest
achieving of
all groups at
the start of
their school
careers.

Since teacher
observation
replaced the
tests white
children have
attained
higher marks
than all other
ethnic groups,
Prof Gillborn
said.

He added:
"Here's one
area that
black kids
were doing
well and it
has
disappeared,
almost
overnight.
There is no
evidence of
conscious
intent. There
does not need
to be."